Raipur, Nov 10 (PTI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for a Centre of Excellence for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at NIT Raipur and said his government is working to create an ecosystem where youth could realise their dreams without moving to big cities.
The Shrimati Mithilesh Agrawal Centre of Excellence for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Engineering and Technology (MACIEET) will be established on the NIT Raipur campus at a cost of Rs 88.76 crore, an official statement said.
The facility is being set up under a tripartite memorandum of understanding signed last year between the Chhattisgarh government, National Institute of Technology (NIT) Raipur and the Motilal Oswal Foundation (MOF), it said.
Addressing the foundation stone-laying ceremony, Sai said there is no dearth of talent and potential among the state's youth, but they needed the right opportunities, modern resources and proper guidance.
"Our government is creating an environment where young people do not have to move to metropolitan cities to realise their dreams, but can develop new innovations, establish industries and generate employment opportunities for others right here in Chhattisgarh," he said.
He said youth power, technology and innovation will play a decisive role in realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat and a developed India.
The MACIEET centre will not merely be a state-of-the-art building, but a hub to fulfil the aspirations and potential of the younger generation, the CM said.
It would provide students with facilities to conduct research on their ideas, develop technological solutions, prepare prototypes and convert them into commercially viable ventures, thereby strengthening the start-up ecosystem and promoting technologies suited to industrial requirements, he added.
Emphasising the importance of innovation, Sai said technology could be considered truly meaningful only when it improved people's lives by making them better, safer and more convenient.
He urged students not to restrict their innovations to academic projects, but turn them into successful start-ups and enterprises, assuring them of all possible assistance from the state government.
Sai said Chhattisgarh has been emerging as a destination for new technologies alongside its traditional strengths in mineral resources and industries.
Efforts are underway to establish semiconductor units and develop an AI data centre park, while modern infrastructure, improved connectivity and an investor-friendly environment were being created in Nava Raipur to support future industries, he said.
The proposed centre of excellence will come up on a 6,525-square-metre plot and have a built-up area of 12,307 square metres, the statement said.
It will house seven advanced laboratories focusing on emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, robotics and automation, data analytics and computing, blockchain and cybersecurity, 3D printing and additive manufacturing, augmented and virtual reality and the Internet of Things, and cleantech and sustainability, it said.
The facility will have start-up incubation and co-working spaces, smart classrooms, conference halls, exhibition areas, an amphitheatre and residential facilities, it said.
It will provide aspiring entrepreneurs with expert mentorship, prototype development facilities and opportunities to connect with investors, banks and government schemes.
Students of engineering colleges, polytechnics and ITIs, along with working professionals, will also benefit from the centre.
The project is being jointly funded by the Motilal Oswal Foundation, the Chhattisgarh government and NIT Raipur in an 80:10:10 ratio. The foundation will contribute Rs 71.008 crore, while the state government and NIT Raipur will provide Rs 8.876 crore each, it said.
Raamdeo Agrawal, Chairman and Co-founder of Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, Suresh Haware, Chairman of the Board of Governors of NIT Raipur, and N V Ramana Rao, Director of NIT Raipur, were present on the occasion.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)